Trapped
by Honest Hitchhiker
Summary: Even after the death of the dearest person in his life, Vincent continues to roam the Planet. Yuffentine. Vincent PoV. Post-game.


Time drags on slowly for me, and every single day is a reminder of the closure I will never attain. I have already walked my path in life; I have already protected the Planet more times than imaginable. Despite having lived on this Planet for hundreds of years, I still appear to be a relatively young man. My face is the same as it has been since my initial punishment, though I have gained scars over numerous years of battling and repentance. I am still Vincent Valentine, and I am immortal. I will continue to roam this Planet until its last rotation.

I am constantly tormented by my demons, even though after years of coping with them, I am in great control. It is still unnerving to think that there are animalistic, barbaric creatures residing within me who only wish to destroy. They no longer surface, yet I still feel their lingering presences in the back of my mind.

It is because of these monsters that I do not have the capability to simply 'die.' The beasts within me will not succumb to the normal limitations of human life, leaving me trapped on this Planet with no hope for salvation.

If I had to choose the greatest reason I wish to return to the Planet, it would be her.

My beautiful wife, Yuffie; though she has been dead for nearly two hundred years, I can still perfectly envision her face, and her voice constantly haunts me. She was the one who was able to save me from my world of nightmares, and she gave me happiness, normalcy, and an amazing family.

I never planned to remarry after her death. She was my savior, and no other woman would be able to replace her charm and her outgoing nature. I simply live my life enveloped in memories of my late wife; I feel as if she has never left my side.

I have visited her grave every single day since her death, and I often spend my entire days there, sitting cross-legged and weeping over the memories I have of her. My mind often drifts to the day of her death, a day with more poignancy within my mind than any other.

It was particularly cool in her hometown of Wutai as Yuffie's life faded from her, and even the songbirds seemed quiet. Yuffie laid on a humble futon, her hands trembling, and desperate gasps for breath escaping her. Lines covered her face, evident of her many years on the Planet, and she was frail and weak in her old age. Despite the years she gained, she was just as beautiful in my eyes as she had ever been.

I sat by her side for days, and my heart dreaded the inevitable ending. Our sons and daughters constantly came to see their dying mother, and we would often sit together in silence, simply reveling in the last minutes we were able to spend with Yuffie while she was alive.

Her death came quietly and peacefully, and I suppose I should be thankful in that regard. However, the moment I realized that my beloved wife would never again speak to me, and that I would never be able to see her or touch her again, I was thrown into a hysterical depression. I confined myself to our home in Wutai, and for the first few months, I only left to visit her grave. Our children continually tried to speak with me, but I denied them, and they eventually left me alone for my isolated grieving.

I avoided interaction with anyone until one of our grandchildren announced the birth of his daughter, our first great-grandchild. I visited the young family, and in the face of the newly born infant, I could see Yuffie. It was then that I realized that Yuffie was still with me on this Planet in the form of our descendants, as well as eternally within my heart. I left our house in the hands of our family, and our eldest son became the lord of Wutai.

I began traveling the Planet again, and I re-experienced every sight and spectacle I had seen during my years of protecting the world with Avalanche. Each location on the Planet held a certain memory of Yuffie, and it was clear that her spirit would never be lost.

Even with my travels, I visit Yuffie's gravesite each day, and I often bring gifts I know she would enjoy, from white roses to rare orbs of Materia. Though a lot of time is spent silently or with tears, I also speak to the winds near her grave, with longing tales beginning with, "Remember when…"

As cold as it may sound, I do not seek out my descendants, and I do not speak with the ones that I know are around. Many of my offspring live in Wutai; the town is still ruled by a man descended from the Kisaragi bloodline, and it has been restored to a more revered society with riches and an overabundance of Materia. I am sure that I have descendants scattered around the Planet, but I would not feel comfortable trying to have relationships with them; if I were a normal ancestor, my memory would be simply continued by aural tales of my life. I do not feel that my descendants need to know of my existence, and I only wish that they pass on tales of my beloved Yuffie.

I feel my heart sink each time the realization of the impossibility of death enters my mind. I am trapped on this Planet, walking the same footsteps I have walked for centuries, and haunted by the memories of my wife. Sometimes, I hear faint cries from Lifestream that sound like her voice calling my name; there is such despondence in her cries that I break down with shouts of anguish.

Centuries ago, I fell in love with an optimistic, vibrant young woman who saved me from nightmares of guilt. She aged and died naturally, yet I was left behind in a separate world. Though we exist in different planes of reality, her memory is with me; I only wish to feel her in my arms once more.


End file.
